“I would say it’s likely that some combination of [Travis D’Arnaud, John Buck, and Anthony Recker] will start the season for us,” Alderson said, according to Rubin.

Rubin notes that if D’Arnaud spends the first 20 days of the Major League regular season in the Minor Leagues, his free agency will be delayed until after the 2019 season.

While with Triple-A Las Vegas in the Blue Jays organization last season, D’Arnaud, 23, hit .333 with a .380 OBP, 16 HR and 52 RBI in 67 games.

Michael Baron, Contributor

It’s logical to expect D’Arnaud will start the season in the Minor Leagues. There’s no reason to accelerate his free agency at this point. He also saw limited action last season thanks to a PCL injury in his knee, and so a little extra seasoning can’t hurt either.